MSU's Miles Bridges admiring fellow Flint native, Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma from afar

DIMONDALE — The relationship between Michigan State's Miles Bridges and Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma doesn't run too deep.

According to Bridges, the two Flint natives would only cross paths during rec league games in their hometown. Yet, Bridges, who returned to MSU for his sophomore season despite potentially being a lottery pick in the 2017 NBA draft, found himself glued to the television last week as Kuzma lit up the Las Vegas NBA Summer League with the Lakers.

"I saw most of (his games) ... all of them," the 19-year-old Bridges said before he took the floor in Thursday's Moneyball Pro-Am at Aim High. "It's game respect game. We came from the same city, so there's always mutual respect that way."

Kuzma, who was the 27th pick by Los Angeles in June's draft, was one of the darlings of Summer League, despite being overshadowed by No. 2 pick and rookie teammate Lonzo Ball. The 21-year-old Kuzma averaged 21.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in seven games while shooting over 50 percent from the field.

He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Summer League championship game after leading the Ball-less Lakers to a 110-98 victory over the Portland Trailblazers with a 30-point, 10-rebound performance.

Unlike Bridges, however, Kuzma wasn't always held in the highest regard on the court. The 6-foot-9 forward left Burton Bentley, a Class C school in the Flint area, after his junior year and eventually wound up at Philadelphia's Rise Academy. There, Kuzma turned himself into a four-star recruit, according to ESPN, and elected to play at Utah. He received a redshirt his freshman season and played only eight minutes the following year before eventually becoming a marquee guy for the Utes.

Bridges enjoyed watching his progression on the Summer League stage.

"It was big for the city," Bridges added. "There's not a lot in Flint, and all (everyone) is worrying about is the water crisis right now.

"It's good to see something good come out of Flint, especially Kyle Kuzma, because he was underrated all of his life."

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.